Echo determinants of dyssynchrony (atrioventricular and inter- and intraventricular) and predictors of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has revolutionized not only the treatment of chronic heart failure but also how we assess left ventricular (LV) dysfunction on echo. Increasingly, it has become clear that identifying and quantifying delays in events during the cardiac cycle is an important assessment in LV dysfunction as it has prognostic implications for patients undergoing CRT. The delays in atrioventricular, right-to-left ventricular, and LV segmental contraction have been shown to be important components in cardiac performance, and this review provides an overview of the commonest methods used for these assessments and their implications for selecting patients for biventricular pacing.